kalash%UCBINGRES@Berkeley@sri-unix.UUCP (09/26/83)
From: kalash%UCBINGRES@Berkeley (Joe Kalash) Well, I just finished said book last night (limited edition Phantasia Press edition, if you are wondering where I got a copy). Micro Review: **1/2 Asimov continues to tie his "worlds" together, but as a mystery it is a bit dull. Review: It seems some one on the planet Aurora has killed a human-form robot (not Daneel), and implicated the leading pro earth politician/ scientist. Elijah Baley is called in to solve the crime, in the face of rather unfriendly opposition. We get to meet Daneel, Gladia and Fastofal (Daneel's creator) once again, along with a host of new people (most unfriendly), and robots (most friendly). Asimov continues to make attempts to tie his robot novels in with the foundation books (if you have read Foundation's Edge, you have a good idea what is coming on that front). The main problem I had with the book was that it wasn't very compelling. I never could convince myself that "killing" a robot could be very important, or that Elijah was ever doing anything that interesting (except exploring Auroran society). While I like Asimov's writing, this one is not a major work. I give it **1/2, worth picking up a paperback edition. Joe Kalash
aii@tropix.UUCP (Alice I. Insley) (11/30/83)
I thought that "Robots of Dawn" was one of the most simplistic, unbeleivable books that I have read in a long time. Sure, Azimov ties all his other plot lines together; but the world-view he shows seems extremely unlikely to me. It requires that ALL humans become rule-following, regulation bound non-thinkers. Even one anarchist or powergrabbing group would send his whole culture tumbling. Alice Bentley ...seismo!rochester!ritcv!tropix!aii
gmp@rayssd.UUCP (11/07/84)
For those of you that don't know, "The Robots of Dawn" by Asimov is
now out in paperback. For those of you that haven't read it, I
recommend it. However, I recommend that you don't read the hype
on or near the covers--at least until you're half-way through the book.
--
Gregory M. Paris {allegra,ccice5,decvax!brunix,linus}!rayssd!gmpcarlton@masscomp.UUCP (Carlton Hommel) (12/12/84)
Several years ago, Issac Asimov postulated a future society. Earth was very crowded, with people people living underground, in conditions that would give a sardine claustrophobia. Earthers tended to be afraid of robots, because they would take jobs away from humans. The Outer Systems were underpopulated, and the few people living there embraced robots, using them for everything. Asimov set out to write three detective novels in this mythos. The first would be set on Earth, and would show its problems. Thus, _The Caves of Steel_. The second would be set on a world with a severe shortage of people, and too many robots. This world was Solaris; the book, _The Naked Sun_. At this time in his career, Asimov found writing "pop" science books to be much easier, and much more lucrative, so he never wrote the third book in the trilogy. This book would show a "balanced" society, where humans and robots got along in what we would consider a normal fashion. This world was Aurora, and their were hints in the other two books about its culture. Since "Star Wars", SF has attracted Big Bucks, and Del Ray Books offered Asimov Mucho $ to finish his trilogy, and write another "Foundation" Novel. Carl Hommel Wife: What does "RUR" stand for? Husband: Rossem's Universal Robots.